1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to bolster chairs. More particularly, it relates to a bolster chair having a seat that is movable between a horizontal and a vertical position and which is vertically adjustable when in the vertical position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Bolster chairs are typically found on vehicles such as speedboats. However, they also have utility on other vehicles that experience turbulent motion. Bolster chairs are large, heavily padded chairs that include aback wall and a pair of side walls. They typically include a drop down foldable seat having a horizontal disposition that provides a conventional seat means for use when the forces being applied to the seat are not particularly violent. The foldable seat also includes a folded downwardly, vertical position where it lacks utility as a seat means. The downwardly folded position is used when the speed of the boat or other vehicle is so high that violent forces are transmitted to the seat and sitting becomes uncomfortable. In that event, the user folds the seat downwardly into a vertical position and stands within an area bordered on the rear by the back of the chair and bordered on both sides by the side walls of the chair. The legs are bent slightly to better absorb the forces transmitted to the user. The back and the sides of the bolster chair provide heavily cushioned support means that prevents the user from falling to the rear or to either side, and the forward progress of the vehicle is sufficient to prevent the user from falling forward.
When the user is in a standing position, it often becomes desirable to lean back and rest against the back wall of the bolster chair. The vertical position of the downwardly folded seat, however, often prevents such leaning or makes the leaning uncomfortable.
What is needed, then, is an easily foldable seat for a bolster chair that enables a standing user to lean back comfortably to rest against the back of the chair.
However, in view of the prior art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in the pertinent art how the identified need could be fulfilled.
The long-standing but heretofore unfulfilled need for an improved bolster chair is now met by a new, useful, and nonobvious invention. The novel bolster chair has a back wall and a pair of transversely opposed side walls. It further includes a foldable seat having a horizontal position adapted to support a seated user and an upwardly folded, vertical position so that a user may stand in a space bounded by the back wall and the pair of opposed side walls. A height adjustment means adjusts the height of the seat when the seat is in its upwardly folded, vertical position. A standing user may lean against the seat when the seat is in said upwardly folded, vertical position, and the vertical position of the seat is adjustable to accommodate users of varying heights.
A locking and unlocking means has a first position where it locks the seat in a first preselected position of vertical adjustment and has a second position where it unlocks the seat so that the seat may be moved to a second preselected position of vertical adjustment, while in the upwardly folded, vertical position, when desired by the user. When the seat is locked in a vertical, upwardly folded position of adjustment, it is also locked against unfolding into a horizontal position. When unlocked for vertical adjustment, it is also unlocked so that it can be positioned horizontally.
The locking and the unlocking means includes a gas spring in the form of a cylinder having a plunger that is retractable and extendable relative to the cylinder. A control means selectively retracts, extends and locks the plunger relative to the cylinder. A distal free end of the plunger is connected to the seat so that the seat is raised when the plunger is extended and so that the plunger is retracted when the seat is lowered. The control means includes a control rod means or commercially available substitute having a first end pivotally secured to a handle that is pivotally mounted to the seat and a second end disposed in controlling relation to the plunger so that the plunger is locked when the handle is in a first position and the plunger is movable when the handle is in a second position.
The handle of the locking and unlocking means is pivotally mounted to a preselected part of the seat and movable in a plane of the seat, or a plane closely parallel to said plane, between a locked position and an unlocked position. When in the locked position, the gas spring prevents vertical adjustment of the seat. When in the unlocked position, the gas spring facilitates vertical adjustment of the seat.
The locking and unlocking means further includes a pair of slideably mounted locking members having an extended position that locks the seat in its upwardly folded position and a retracted position that unlocks the seat so that the seat may be folded downwardly into a horizontal position.
A pair of guide tracks hold the seat in the horizontal position and in the vertical position. The guide tracks also guide the seat as it is displaced from the horizontal position to the vertical. position and from the vertical position to the horizontal position. Each guide track of the pair of guide tracks has an inverted xe2x80x9cLxe2x80x9d shape that includes a truncate part and an elongate part disposed normal to the truncate part.
The seat further includes a pair of transversely disposed frame members that form a part of the seat. A rotatably mounted roller or a non-rotatably mounted bushing, or other suitable guide track-engaging means, is disposed on opposite ends of each of the frame members. Each guide track-engaging means is disposed in the truncate part of the guide tracks when the seat is deployed in the horizontal position and each is disposed in the elongate part of the guide tracks when the seat is deployed in the vertical position. A first half of the guide track-engaging means is disposed in the truncate part of the guide tracks and a second half of thereof is disposed in the elongate part of the guide tracks when the seat is disposed in an intermediate position between the horizontal and vertical positions.
An important object of this invention is to provide a bolster chair having an adjustable seat.
A more specific object is to provide a seat that does not interfere with rearward leaning by a standing user of the chair.
Another specific object is to provide a bolster chair having an upwardly foldable seat that may be positioned into a plurality of functional positions of vertical adjustment when in its upwardly folded, vertical configuration.
These and other important objects, advantages, and features of the invention will become clear as this description proceeds.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the description set forth hereinafter and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.